Multiple sclerosis-related white matter microstructural change alters the BOLD hemodynamic response

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Neurology

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes inflammatory damage to white matter, affecting brain function.
• Previous blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) imaging studies suggest altered brain function in MS.
• The precise relationship between white matter microstructural damage and BOLD signal alterations in MS remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in the BOLD hemodynamic response function (HRF) in relapsing-remitting MS patients compared to healthy controls.
• To determine if white matter microstructural integrity influences MS-related BOLD-HRF alterations using diffusion tensor imaging.

Main Methods:

• Assessed BOLD-HRF parameters in MS patients and healthy controls.
• Utilized diffusion tensor imaging to quantify white matter microstructural integrity.
• Correlated BOLD-HRF changes with white matter integrity measures.

Main Results:

• Patients with MS exhibited reduced BOLD-HRF peak amplitude compared to controls.
• This reduction in BOLD-HRF amplitude was significantly influenced by individual white matter microstructural integrity.
• Other MS-related factors did not mediate the observed group differences in BOLD-HRF amplitude.

Conclusions:

• White matter microstructural integrity is a key factor influencing BOLD signal alterations in multiple sclerosis.
• Findings have implications for interpreting BOLD signal changes in MS research and clinical practice.
• Understanding these relationships is crucial for accurate functional hyperemic mechanism analysis in MS.